Regular exercises result in a wide range of health benefits that include lower blood pressure, weight loss, and reduced risk of injury or illness. In addition to these physical benefits, regular exercise has a significant influence on an individual’s mental health. It helps people live a happier life by reducing anxiety and stress and improving sleep. Research has also shown that regular exercise with a group enhances an individual's social experience. For these reasons, I hold a gym membership that allows me to keep fit and improve my social interactions.
The gym membership allows me to be part of a group of individuals with shared fitness goals. Once I acquired the gym membership, I was put in a group of individuals with similar fitness goals. Our shared goal is to lose weight and become physically fit through weightlifting. To realize these goals as a group, we have an everyday gym schedule that allows us to be at the gym at the same time. We work out for 1 hour each morning during the weekdays and from 8 am to 11 am during the weekends. The time spent at the gym provides an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals in a friendly and fun environment. It also allows us to establish new friendships and create a support network.
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Studies show that there is a wide range of social motives that influence individuals to join social groups. In my case, several social motives influenced the decision to become a gym member. The dominant social motive was the need to belong. Research has shown that the need to belong is a significant human need met when people form essential interpersonal relationships (Mellor et al., 2008). Social contact in social groups allows individuals to develop these relationships, thus satisfying the need to belong. The positive interpersonal interactions in a social group allow members to receive social support from individuals with a collective objective (Baumeister, & Leary, 1995). In this case, I joined the gym to meet like-minded individuals who had similar fitness goals. I had gained a significant amount of bodyweight, which had become a threat to my health and social life. I felt uncomfortable in the presence of my friends and family, which affected my social interactions. I needed to meet other individuals with similar concerns. The gym gave me a sense of belonging after meeting other gym members with the same objectives.
The second social motive that significantly influenced the decision to join the gym was self-improvement (Fiske et al., 2010). Increasing body weight was becoming a threat to my health, and I had to act fast to reduce health risks. Also, a physically fit body creates an attractive appearance, and I have always wanted to have an athletic body. Joining the gym provided the opportunity to realize the self-improvement goals and acquire the athletic body that I wanted. The weightlifting allowed the building of muscles, which would enhance the body's appearance. Self-improvement would also improve my social life since other people would more appreciate me. Regular exercise at the gym would also provide the opportunity to reduce stress and anxiety. The busy daily schedules often leave me worn out and stressed at the end of the day. Blowing off some steam at the gym regularly would provide an opportunity to be mentally healthy.
The third social motive that influenced the sustenance of gym membership to date is the improved social identity (Fiske et al., 2010). Being a member of the gym allowed me to gain a new social status. The gym was the best in our community, and some of the prominent athletes used to train there. Whenever I wore gym t-shirts while going out with friends I would draw a lot of attention from people. Also, within a few months after joining the gym, the physical fitness significantly improved. I gained an athletic body as I had always wished, and this enhanced my self-esteem. I was confident to join the local football club, and the newly acquired athletic body guaranteed me a position. The social identity and the improvement of the self-concept that occurred after joining the gym have significantly influenced my decision to retain the gym membership. I would not give up membership for anything.
Gym membership has significantly improved my life satisfaction. Research shows a strong relationship between the satisfaction of the need to belong and life satisfaction (Mellor et al., 2008). Satisfying this need reduces loneliness and social isolation, which are the primary causes of unhappiness and psychological distress. This means that individuals who have not satisfied the need to belong are often unhappy and less satisfied with life. However, in my case, the gym membership satisfied this essential need. The gym environment allowed us to share experiences and motivate each other to realize our fitness goals. It provided a chance to establish the fundamental interpersonal relationships crucial in satisfying the need to belong. The emotional and physical support guaranteed by other gym members improved the commitment to fitness goals. Also, the gym provided an opportunity for self-improvement, which elevated my social status. Being appreciated by other people and the improved self-esteem have become significant boosters to enhance life satisfaction.
In conclusion, joining the gym remains one of the best decisions that I have made in life. Like most individuals, the need to belong was the primary social motive that influenced the decision to join the gym. The gym membership provided an opportunity to establish a social support network that has been essential in improving life satisfaction. Social groups, therefore, play a significant role in enhancing the social life of individuals.
References
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological bulletin , 117 (3), 497.
Fiske, S. T., Gilbert, D. T., & Lindzey, G. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 1). John Wiley & Sons.
Mellor, D., Stokes, M., Firth, L., Hayashi, Y., & Cummins, R. (2008). Need for belonging, relationship satisfaction, loneliness, and life satisfaction. Personality and individual differences , 45 (3), 213-218.
